House Calendars
The Legislative Process in Texas
House Calendars and Lists of Items Eligible for Consideration
After a bill or resolution has been reported favorably by a standing committee and the committee report has been printed, the chief clerk forwards the measure to the appropriate calendars committee for placement on a calendar. The house rules provide for four types of calendars:
- the Daily House Calendar, which contains a list of new bills and resolutions scheduled by the Committee on Calendars for consideration by the house and which must be distributed to the members 36 hours before the house convenes during regular sessions and 24 hours before the house convenes during special sessions;
- the Supplemental House Calendar (prepared by the Committee on Calendars), which must be distributed two hours before the house convenes and which may contain: (a) measures passed to third reading on the previous day; (b) measures on the Daily House Calendar for a previous day that were not reached for consideration; (c) measures on the Daily House Calendar for the current day; (d) postponed business from a previous day; and (e) notice to call from the table a measure laid on the table subject to call on a previous day;
- the Local, Consent, and Resolutions Calendar, which must be distributed to the members 48 hours before the house convenes and which contains a list of local or noncontroversial bills scheduled by the Committee on Local and Consent Calendars for consideration by the house; and
- the Congratulatory and Memorial Calendar, which must be distributed 24 hours before the house convenes and which contains a list of congratulatory and memorial resolutions and motions scheduled by the Committee on Rules and Resolutions for consideration by the house.
- The Supplemental House Calendar, because it includes the measures listed on the Daily House Calendar, is the primary agenda followed by the house during its deliberations. The Local, Consent, and Resolutions Calendar and the Congratulatory and Memorial Calendar are special calendars that are prepared approximately once a week during the last half of a regular session. In addition to the four calendars listed above, the house rules provide for seven categories that may be used to group bills and resolutions on those calendars. Those categories, listed in order of priority, are the: (1) emergency calendar; (2) major state calendar; (3) constitutional amendments calendar; (4) general state calendar; (5) local, consent, and resolution calendar; (6) resolutions calendar; and (7) congratulatory and memorial resolutions calendar. Within each category, senate bills and resolutions are required to be listed on the calendars separately from house bills and resolutions, and consideration of senate bills and resolutions on senate bill days (Wednesdays and Thursdays) has priority in the order specified by house rule.
- Except during the latter part of the regular session, when calendars become especially lengthy, the house normally considers all measures listed on its calendars before adjourning or recessing for the day.
- List of Items Eligible for Consideration. This list is prepared by the chief clerk of the house, upon request of the speaker, when the volume of legislation warrants (normally during the last few weeks of a regular session). The list must be distributed six hours before it may be considered and contains: (1) house bills with senate amendments eligible to be considered; (2) senate bills for which the senate has requested the appointment of a conference committee; and (3) conference committee reports eligible to be considered.